Tuesday, July 17

"Mom, mom, mom, mom. The goose. The goose are talking to me!""The geese are talking to you? What are they saying?""HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK!""Yeah? And what do you suppose that means?""uh... I don't know.""Do you think they are saying thanks for the bread you're feeding them? Are they saying 'Thank you, Andrew'?""uh... yeah. They are saying thank me Andrew, thank me for that bread!"

This is what it's all about: "Schmoozing is the natural ability “to converse casually, especially in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection.” Good schmoozers effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship"And I now get to pass it along. I didn't see any 'rules' posted about it, so I am arbitrarily choosing to give it to six, no, seven *NOW NINE super schmoozy bloggers. In no particular order I share the love with:

Allison, over at Soccer Mom in Denial. In my mind, no one is more deserving. She was my first commenter and has been a loyal friend since the first moment she tripped upon my site.

Jami, from Not That Different. In a single word: Hilarious. In two words: Absolutely fabulous.

Fourier Analyst(I don't know if she's telling her real name so I shall keep it secret) Honest, funny, fresh, and gorgeous. That she is my offline friend too is my treasure.

Michelle, at Scribbit. Brilliant blogger. Great friend. AND? And I got to chat (as in SPEAK) with her via Skype* yesterday. Now, that was fun.

Ellen, who blogs from Belgium at Goofball's World. Always with a fun perspective and a friendly smile. She is a great presence in my blog neighborhood!Happy Schmoozing friends!

*UPDATE~~UPDATE~~UPDATE

While I was sitting in the acupuncture hot seat this afternoon, it occurred to me that I had forgotten to add in two bloggers who really deserve this kind of nod. This, I suppose, is what comes from trying to rush through a post. After all, I can't hold all that much in my brain any all of the time.

Rebecca, writing from down under at Rebecca James. Sweetest human on the planet. And sharp wit to boot.

That's it for real now. Even though there are others, many others, lots of others, DOZENS of others who should be getting this award. But I have to stop somewhere. I will leave it to those on the list above to send this award winging it's way 'round the neighborhood.

Yeeehaa! I wun sumpin'! Course I alreddy wun when I gotcha as a freeind! Seriously babe thanks bunches. Really cute button that I'll post when I figure out how all this fancy stuff works! And thanks for the links to the other schmoozers that I'll be checking out soon! Thought-hugs!

Thank you VERY much for the award! I'll be putting it up in the trophy room ... as soon as I get a trophy so I can justify the expense of building a room for it. But I bow down before your own exalted schmooziness.

Something to Consider

Something About Me

The story begins like this: A couple of years ago my husband got a crazy notion in his head that returning to school after years in the professional world might be a good idea. So he and I along with our three children left our suburban life in the U.S. and traded it for a new adventure in The Netherlands.

The saga continues like this:
A year of post graduate study was so much fun, we figured we'd stay a while longer. Working in a new field, attending new schools and living in a new city, I dare say we have settled into a rhythm in our expat lives.

This blog is the record I keep of our experiences here; good, bad and hilarious. Intended as an outlet for my expression, this is the place for me to say my something.